Everton trio sign new deals

Everton have moved to sign up three of their players as the January transfer window approaches.

Gareth Barry, Leighton Baines and Mason Holgate have all committed their futures to the club.

Barry has extended his current deal until June 2018 while Baines has signed on until June 2019.

Holgate has been rewarded by manager Ronald Koeman with a five year extension taking him through until 2021.

Speaking to the club's official website after tying the trio to new deals, Koeman said: "With Leighton, his attitude is always perfect. He likes to work hard, he likes to learn, he is a technical player with a good view of the game and I’m really happy to have him in the team this season and also for the longer term.

“Offensively, he’s a strong player who can cross the ball well and he has that cleverness in the game and in the moment, a quality that’s not in every player.

"He’s one of the experienced players in our team and what you like to have in your team is a balance in ages in the group. Players like Leighton, Phil Jagielka and Gareth Barry are leaders in our dressing room and on the pitch. For younger players, they are a little bit like teachers. They have that experience and young players need to listen to them for they will learn.

“Like Leighton, Gareth Barry is a clever player on the pitch. Only Ryan Giggs has played more games in the Premier League and let’s hope he will smash every record. He’s a quiet person but a strong character. He knows what he can and can’t do.

“Mason is one of the big talents at the Club. Of course, he started playing this season and did a great job. He can play out of different positions in the team defensively. He was really comfortable when he got his chance in the team. He showed strengths with the football and strengths in defending. He’s the future for the Club and other young players like him," he added.